Window

I have a window in my kitchen. It has always made me happy.

On clear days, I marvel about how far I can see. On dreary days, the fog is so thick I can't see the next building. When I'm cooking too many things and the kitchen gets thick with heat and steam, I can open the window and feel a cool breeze. When I don't leave the apartment for days at a time, it may be all I see of the outside.

Best of all, through that window I can hear the children laughing. Below it merges three apartment complexes, and the lives of young children. Their laughter and shouts rise on the wind and enter my apartment making me smile as I prepare dinner, pick up dishes, or bake. Lizbeth sits on the floor by the fridge with her magnets and I wonder of the days ahead when she will be laughing and running and playing with her friends.

This week my window makes me sad. There is no laughter, no shouts, no cries of delight. This week, when I look out my window, I see a place where a child lost their life. The grave of so many innocent hopes and dreams and childish pursuits. This week my window is silent.

I have hope. I know that one day soon I will hear the laughter again. One day soon I will look out my window and marvel again at the beauty of my city. One day soon...but that day is not today.

Our God is still big, and our God is still good.

***Our dear student and friend went home to be with the Lord yesterday. Please be in Prayer for his family and all of us grieving.